Sōsuke Aizen
Sosuke Aizen 'was the leader of the Arrancar army and the former captain of the Fifth Squad before betraying the Soul Society with his followers, Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tosen. His former lieutenant is Momo Hinamori. Physical Appearance Aizen is a tall and lean-built man with short brown hair that is sweeped back with a single strand to hang down in front of his eyes, and matching brown, menacing eyes. Aizen wears a white vest, and on top of this, a white long, long-sleeved robe, reminiscent of his old captain's haori, with an extended collar and no insignia on the back, as well as a pink sash around his waist, white hakama, black tabi, and white zori. Personality Aizen is a polite, soft-spoken intellectual, often addressing his subordinates by their given names. He rarely shows any sign of alarm or distress, and often has entire situations planned out well in advance. Whenever confronted, Aizen is casual and uncaring, attempting to draw out a conversation and make small talk, which often infuriates those he is talking to. Aizen initially appeared to be a very kind, well-respected captain and was looked up to by many, especially his lieutenant, Momo Hinamori. However, this was just a mask to disguise his manipulative, and very dangerous, nature. In truth, he cares very little for his underlings, and is willing to use almost everyone around him as pawns to achieve his goals. He is willing to stop at nothing to further his selfish ambitions, including manipulating or killing anyone if he deems it to be necessary. He frequently toys with his underlings for amusement. During his time as a captain, Aizen liked tofu, but he disliked boiled eggs. In his free time, he often read, and he gave a special lecture of calligraphy at the Soul Reaper Academy because he excelled in this branch of arts. This optional course was immensely popular among the Shinigami students, and many of them felt great sorrow at Aizen's sudden departure. As the commander of his army of Arrancar, Aizen controls his minions through acquired respect or fear. Ulquiorra Schiffer revealed to Orihime Inoue that they are all there to further Aizen's ambitions. Aizen keeps more rowdy individuals like Grimmjow Jaegerjaques in line through intimidation and mind games. The Arrancar, Aisslinger Wernarr claims the Arrancar follow him because he has no fear, something which beings born from fear and despair find inspiring. Gin Ichimaru has some sense of Aizen's emotions and feelings, correctly pointing out Aizen was enjoying the invasion by Ichigo and his friends and their successes within Las Noches, which Aizen himself confirmed, and noting Aizen was surprised by the arrival of Momo during the battle of Fake Karakura Town. In contrast, Kaname Tosen has shown no such understanding, and has fallen victim to one of Aizen's more minor mind games when Aizen subtly manipulated him into punishing Grimmjow for him while Aizen himself kept up his appearance of benevolence. Aizen's true objective was to overthrow the king of Soul Society. As he and his fellow traitor captains were departing from the Soul Society, he told Thirteenth Squad Captain Jushiro Ukitake "''no one has stood on the top of the world", not even the gods, but he aspires to "stand on the heavens and end the unbearable vacancy on the world's throne". According to Kisuke Urahara, since mastering the Hogyoku, Aizen has become less cautious in battle, for Aizen would not have allowed Urahara to use level 90 Kido before he subdued the Hogyoku. Aizen admits his new powers allow him to let his guard down. Due to this newfound power, Aizen has developed an arrogant and overconfident attitude, often not even thinking his attacks or defense through any longer like he used to, or even bothering to find out the effects of his opponents' and his own attacks. In his newest form, he has developed a severe superiority complex, believing he is now above both Soul Reapers and Hollows. Because of his superior attitude and high intelligence, Aizen is easily enraged when facing something or someone which he does not understand; for example, when witnessing Ichigo Kurosaki use Final Getsuga Tensho, Aizen becomes furious because he is unable to comprehend how a Human has surpassed him. Early History Synopsis Abilities '''Genius Intellect: Arguably the most fearsome trait of Aizen is his tremendous intellect. He is well-versed in the history, strategy, tactics of the Soul Society, and is privy to knowledge previously unknown to many, such as knowing of the existence of the Oken, as well as the obscure method in which to make one. He has also created several hollows and Arrancar while being able to avoid arousing any suspicion from most of his fellow Soul Reapers, most likely due to his Zanpakuto's illusionary abilities. He also, for over 110 years, had been engaging in experiments that involved unique and highly dangerous manipulations of spirit energy and spirit particles. His most startling experiment involves the Hollowfication of Soul Reapers, something unseen before and still unknown to have ever taken place again. He has an innate knowledge of the Hogyoku, rivalling that of its creator, Kisuke Urahara even the extent required for him to destroy it. He is able to figure out Shinji Hirako's shikai ability's true nature and then deduce that it produces an optical illusion, allowing him to counter its effect. He effectively deduces the true power of the Hogyoku via trial and error of situations that revolve around it. *'Master Manipulator': His plan is dependent upon his abilities of manipulation, which has been shown to be well-versed in. It is this same kind, caring persona that allowed him to deceive the captains and lieutenants while he was still the lieutenant of the Fifth Squad himself. He is fond of observing the behaviors and quirks of others, leading himself not only to a better understanding of the individual, but also how best to manipulate said person into doing his desires. He has likened his plans to chess, stating that manipulation of people is essentially like moving the pieces of the chessboard, eluding to how good he had become at it. Aizen's most noticeable manipulation ability is to enact "plans within plans", such as when he captured and kidnapped Orihime Inoue to lure Ichigo and his friends, as well as half the fighting force of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, into Hueco Mundo, where he could trap them and move on to his plans in Karakura Town. This would then make it easier to accomplish his earlier plan of creating the Oken. *'Master Strategist and Tactician': Aizen is a beyond-able tactician, able to adjust his plans to almost any situation presented to him at a moment's notice. He is a master of psychological warfare, being the center of his entire battle strategy, being able to completely break down the will and resolve of his opponents, as well as provoking them to attack him prematurely, leaving openings in their form for Aizen to exploit. He has also made it a personal goal of his to familiarize himself with the strengths, weaknesses, and mannerisms of his opponents, allowing him to devise elaborate strategies for defeating them. Kido Grandmaster: Aizen is extraordinarily talented in Kido, having once shown himself to produce more powerful spells than the current Kido Captain of the time, Tessai Tsukabishi; he was capable of using Bakudo No. 81: Danku to block Tessai's Hado No. 88: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raiho during Aizen's time as a lieutenant. He can wordlessly cast spells in the nineties, such as Hado 90. Kurohitsugi, without an incantation and still bring down and disable captain-level opponents, such as Seventh Squad Captain, Sajin Komamura. At full power, and with incantation, his Kurohitsugi spell could warp gravity itself. In addition to this, Aizen has shown the unique ability to cast Kido without even calling out the name of the spell, casting them wordlessly, with just a flick of his wrist, as he did to defend himself against Shunsui Kyoraku's Zanpakuto. *'Kido Inventor': In part with his intimate knowledge of the mechanisms of Kido, as well as his own genius, Aizen is capable of inventing Kido and using it effectively in his arsenal. For example, he invented the Millon Escudo spell, a trigger-shield spell that protects his blind spots upon being struck, and planted it to protect himself against attacks at his neck. It proved strong enough to completely block Ichigo Kurosaki's Bankai-enhanced Getsuga Tensho, without cracking or showing visible signs of stress. He also invented the more simple El Escudo, a simple shield that can block standard concussion attacks. Master Swordsman Specialist: While the full extent of his prowess has yet to be known, he has demonstrated the ability to effortlessly fight back an opponent's Shikai with his own blade still sealed. He has also demonstrated the ability to perform tremendously powerful and precise strikes, capable of striking through very sturdy targets, such as Renji's Shikai, Halibel's Hierro, and Komamura's Bankai. He was also able to easily cut down four captains (two which used their Bankai) and four Visored (with three being former captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads) with ease. His masterful skill in swordsmanship is even noted when he is able to overwhelm a Bankai-wielding (and even Hollow mask-enhanced) Ichigo Kurosaki on two separate occasions, as well as injuring the latter a few times, even after he was sealed away in Muken for two years. Shunpo Master: He is perceived to be so fast that one cannot discern even being attacked by him until after it has taken place. Aizen can easily outmaneuver Ichigo's Bankai and Hollow Mask-enhanced speed, to the point where he could casually lay a hand on Ichigo's chest and still dodge a point-blank attack. Aizen can dodge simultaneous attacks at close range and evade Bankai-level techniques. Opponents commonly do not know his movements until after he has made them, and Aizen is skilled enough in his movements to evade at high speeds, even when being attacked from behind. Hakuda Master: While preferring to finish his fights quickly with his Zanpakuto or Kido, Aizen is a highly capable fighter unarmed as well. Repeatedly, Aizen has shown himself able to effortlessly catch his opponent's weapons barehanded. While fighting offensively, he has shown tremendous agility and dexterity, able to combine both sword and barehanded skills to simultaneously strike with his sword and kick opponents with great force. Tremendous Spiritual Power: Even by captain standards, Aizen possesses a tremendous amount of Reiryoku. His level of spiritual energy is twice than that of an average captain. A hint of Aizen's level of Reiryoku is given when he turns Wonderweiss Margela into an Arrancar before activating the Hogyoku; Aizen states in spite of its half-awakened state, the Hogyoku can be fully activated when temporarily fusing with someone with twice as much spiritual power as an average captain-level Soul Reaoer, referring to himself. He claims that he is more powerful than all of the ten Espada combined. After two years being sealed away in Muken, Aizen is considered to be far more powerful then he was before he was defeated by Ichigo Kurosaki. His Reiatsu is violet. *'Masterful Reiatsu Control': Second Squad Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda stated Aizen's mere presence is monstrously overwhelming. The force of Aizen's Reiatsu is great enough to, without any visible effort from Aizen, bring Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, the Sexta Espada, to his knees. He has stated it takes a lot for him not to "crush an ant" (referring to Renji) in his path. Aizen's Reiatsu is powerful enough to nullify abilities, such as when he negated Soi Fon's Nigeki Kessatsu. His mastery of his Reiatsu allows him to use it as a shield that can vaporize living beings within a few meters of Aizen's body. He can focus his Reiatsu to break through dense barriers that are permeated with Reishi. Immense Strength: Despite the fact that Aizen is rather petite when compared to captains such as Sajin Komamura and Kenpachi Zaraki, he is actually an immensly strong individual. He was shown to be capable of catching Ichigo's Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, with a single finger and subsequently nearly tear the Substitute Soul Reaper in two with his blade. Aizen has also been known to contend on an even higher strength level than Komamura himself, stopping the immense blade of the canine captain's Bankai with one hand and subsequently cutting through the blade and the wrist of said Bankai. In the same light, he was able to break the Shikai of Sixth Squad Lieutenant Renji Abarai's Zabimaru with a single hand and injure the lieutenant in the process. Immortality: Zanpakuto Kyoka Suigetsu '(''Moon Mirror, Water Flower): In it's sealed form, it resembles a normal katana. The only decoration is the crossguard, which is shaped like a hexagon instead of a rectangle. The two sides parallel to the blade are long, whereas the four sides above and below the blade are shortened, making it into almost a diamond or prism-like shape. It has a green handle and a white sheath. *'''Shikai: The Shikai release command is "Shatter". Shikai Special Ability: Kyoka Suigetsu's Shikai ability is Complete Hypnosis. It controls the five senses to the point that it can make the target misinterpret another person's form, shape, mass, feel and smell to be that of the enemy. The initiation condition for the hypnosis is to show the enemy the release of Kyoka Suigetsu. After seeing it just once, that person will completely succumb to the hypnosis. After that, every time it is released, that person will become Aizen's unwilling slave. Since the spell works when you see the ritual, those who can not see are consequently immune to the hypnosis. When he turns off the hypnosis by force of will, the image shown melts away/shatters. Kyoka Suigetsu's Complete Hypnosis is absolutely flawless; even if the target is aware that they are under the hypnosis, they cannot resist its influence. Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnotic abilities make it a highly useful tool in combat, as Aizen can quickly create simple or complex illusions to deceive opponents. By creating a decoy of himself, or other illusions to distract his opponents, Aizen can hide his own movements and attack with impunity; his opponent, meanwhile, will remain focused on the illusion until it's too late to react. While the illusions Kyoka Suigetsu creates are quite powerful, those with considerable power and skill themselves may be able to note slight differences in the illusions compared to the real thing, even if they are not able to determine what, precisely, is different. Captain Retsu Unohana was able to detect something was amiss with Aizen's fake corpse, even though she did not realize what until seeing Aizen alive. This is how Aizen has deceived many people and killed them, including one of his own allies, the Tercera Espada, Tier Halibel. Gin reveals that the sole way to escape Kyoka Suigetsu's ability is by touching the blade itself before complete hypnosis is activated. Hogyoku Implantation First Fusion *'Protective Regeneration': By embedding the Hogyoku into his chest, it has been demonstrated to actively protect Aizen by healing his injuries almost instantly. Aizen was able to take a point-blank level 96 destruction spell and escape only suffering slight burns. Immediately following that, he took a point-blank Hollow mask-enhanced Black Getsuga Tensho and survived the attack. He can come out unfazed after being hurled into several buildings. *'Strength Augmentation': Aizen's already considerable strength is further enhanced by the Hogyoku's evolution of his body. He is able to easily strike through a target's flesh with a single nonchalant sweep of his bare hands. *'Durability Augmentation': Second Fusion: After Urahara attempts to block the Reiatsu vents in his wrists with a seal, Aizen emerges from the resulting explosion unscathed as a phantom-like figure. His face is covered with a white canvas and his outfit is now a white cloak that is split in four sections near his waist. There is a cross in the middle of the cloak, showing where the Hogyoku is embedded in him. After a short struggle with Yoruichi Shihoin, his Zanpakuto becomes fused to his arm. Also, when he is attacked, his body appears to crack and fold under damage, only actually bleeding when an attack is powerful enough. *'Enhanced Strength': *'Enhanced Speed': *'Enhanced Durability': *'Enhanced Spiritual Power': After Aizen fuses with the Hogyoku, both Soul Reapers and Humans are incapable of sensing his reiatsu, unless he voluntarily lowers his level and allows them to interfere. He compares this to how a two-dimensional being is incapable of interfering with a three-dimensional one. Isshin Kurosaki surmised that Aizen's spiritual power can only be sensed by someone that is at the same level as him. Third Fusion: *'Enhanced Spiritual Power': Equipment Reiatsu Concealing Cloak: Inventions Relationships Theme Songs * Background in Other Media Trivia * Quotes * Battles & Events References Site Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Soul Reaper Category:Exiled Soul Reaper Category:Former Soul Reaper Captains Category:Fifth Squad Category:Thirteen Court Guard Squads Category:White Army Category:Advanced Captain-class Fighters Category:Bleach Series Characters Category:Most Powerful Characters Category:Major Characters Category:Dark Alliance